December 2020 #CYAL8R2020!
ALMOST THERE!
It's December 27, 2020 as I write this - two days after Christmas, five days until it's officially 2021 and we turn the page on this year. I don't want to contribute to the glut of thinkpieces we'll all be seeing about how, exactly, we all feel about 2020 becoming 2021, but I do want to say one thing:
You're still here.
I can confidently surmise that your 2020 hasn't been what you expected, and possibly it was one of the hardest years of your life. But you made it through. Think about that. The world threw utter insanity at you for about 365 straight days, and you're still here.
Imagine what you'll be able to do in a year that isn't besieged by all the craziness 2020 had to offer. That year is coming. 2021 will be better than 2020, and 2022 will be better yet, and you'll be a wiry, wily person once you're out the other side, able to skim over adversity, take advantage of every opportunity you get and relish the small, wonderful moments life offers you.
I've got a good feeling about this.
(Actually, let me say another thing - THANK YOU. For sure, for real, no joke, you - readers - were a big part of what made my own very tough year not quite as tough as it could have been. Thank you very, very much.)
And now, let's get past the platitudes and move on to the reason you're here - STAR WARS!
LIGHT OF THE JEDI IS ABOUT TO **SHINE**
THE HIGH REPUBLIC is just over a week away! On January 5, 2021, it's the official launch of the new era of Star Wars, set hundreds of years before Episode 1, with the release of my novel LIGHT OF THE JEDI (alongside Justina Ireland's A Test Of Courage). For more information, check out the official High Republic landing page on StarWars.com.
The first reviews landed for this years-in-the-making interconnected story on December 14, and they were... unanimous raves! io9.com called it "boldly luminescent and lighting the way to a period of Star Wars stories that captures why we love this franchise in the first place" and CNET.com said "The High Republic feels like Star Wars unchained." Nice!
The first eight chapters of Light of the Jedi were released online as a preview for you to read, too! Check them out right here.
HELL TO PAY!
On December 8, I announced my next creator-owned comic, with my RISE OF KYLO REN artist pal, Irish hearthrob superstar Will Sliney - HELL TO PAY!!! The series begins summer 2021, from Image Comics, a supernatural adventure, like Indiana Jones and Constantine had a baby. The story: six hundred and sixty-six coins of the currency used in Hell, called the qurrakh, were spirited out of perdition by an escaped soul back in the 17th century. Each can pay for the services of a demon, and have been causing havoc for humanity ever since. Our leads are a married couple trying to pay off a terrible debt by retrieving the coins for a shadowy organization called the Shrouded College. It's rip-roaring fun, Hellboy meets late-stage capitalism.
The story's great, but what's even more fun is that Will and I, alongside our amazing colorist Rachelle Rosenberg, will be creating the book live on Twitch! Will's a well-known Twitch streamer of live comic art, and we thought it would be great for fans to be able to see the process of how a comic gets made. Will's already done a few sessions on his Twitch, as has Rachelle on hers.
You can get more info from the press release Image sent out... which included the beautiful teaser image above. Can't wait for this one to get out into the world - it's my first new creator-owned comic since Undiscovered Country dropped in 2019!
CURSE WORDS OMNIBUS UPDATE
Holy heck! Call it a Christmas miracle, but Ryan Browne and I have all of the Curse Words - The Hole Damned Thing Omnibus copies completely ready to go, including all sketches, personalizations and special editions for our wonderful Kickstarter backers. This was a bit of a bear, including COVID-related shipping delays, and, uh, the fact that it takes me a long time to draw pictures. Ryan was utterly on top of everything here, and if you're annoyed that you don't have your book yet, blame me. I drew hundreds and hundreds of, er, "War Stars" sketches, battle sketches, and created custom curses... and Ryan did similar stellar work for his side of things. We're both so proud of this entire project, and we can't wait for it to get into your hands. It should all begin shipping next week. Some images of my incredible artistic and curse-creating abilities below. Prepare to be wowed!
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!
So many fun things coming in 2021... I have a bunch of things I haven't announced yet, in addition to the things you know about. I said it above, but let me say it again - THANK YOU. I couldn't do this work I love without your support.
When next we chat, it'll be a whole new year! AND HERE'S TO THAT!
--Charles